The Truth About Cataracts and Cataract Surgery

Fact: Cataracts normally take years to develop, but they can progress to the point that you no longer see people and things (you may perceive light). Although cataract surgery almost always restores sight, doctors prefer that you schedule the operation before lenses get hard, which happens with age and makes them harder to break up and replace.

Is your vision loss affecting you on the job?

Myth: Cataracts always require surgery.

Fact: The decision to have a cataract taken out should be based on whether it's limiting your vision and quality of life. "For people in certain occupations, such as an architect or a truck driver, even a little loss of vision interferes with what they do on a daily basis," Proctor says, "while other people may be happy to wait because they're seeing all they need to see."

Make sure to get your eyes checked if experiencing changes in vision.

Myth: It takes weeks to recover from cataract surgery.

Fact: Cataract surgery is much easier than it used to be. "A lot of people have 20/20 vision the very next day, though some people take up to a week to see well out of the affected eye," says Proctor. "It depends on how much power we use to break up the lens." The more force required, the more swelling you'll experience." Since most doctors don't use sutures anymore, there aren't any physical limitations," Proctor says. You will be cautioned not to rub or press your eyes immediately after surgery, however.

Getting older doesn't necessarily mean you will be getting cataracts.

Myth: Cataracts are inevitable.

Fact: Not necessarily. By age 80, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery, according to the National Eye Institute. That means nearly half have clear vision. "There's clearly a genetic component," says David McCartney, M.D., chair of the department of ophthalmology and visual sciences at Texas Tech University. "We all have patients ages 80 or 90 who will never need cataract surgery."

Wear your sunglasses! It may help slow cataract growth.

Myth: There's nothing you can do to slow the development of cataracts.

Fact: Cataracts are a natural part of aging; however, you can protect your eyes by always donning shades when you're out in the sun — summer or winter. "Chronic ultraviolet radiation exposure can help cataracts grow faster," Proctor says. Some data suggests that nutritional supplements containing zinc, lutein, and zeaxanthin — such as those formulated to lower the risk for macular degeneration — may also help slow cataract growth. "The evidence is mixed, but there's little risk to trying it," McCartney says.